Welcome to this month's edition of the RealtyRave newsletter. We hope that you find it filled with interesting and useful information!
Please think of me with any real estate related questions you may have - now and in the future. It would be my pleasure to be of assistance to you.
The single highest and best compliment a Real Estate Professional can receive is a referral to friends, family or colleagues. As appropriate, please feel free to forward this Newsletter and/or my contact information. Thank you!
David Burke
HEALTH AND SAFETY
Tips to reduce your health care expenses
(BPT) - Health care costs are in the news all the time. You hear about them at work and when you’re with friends and family. The comments are always the same. Health care is getting more and more expensive and it seems to be outpacing the money you make.
Fortunately you’re not helpless when it comes to controlling your health care costs. While some treatments simply have to be done in order to support your health, there are other things you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones while looking out for your pocketbook at the same time.
Employ these five tips today and you’ll enjoy the care you need without breaking your budget.
* Focus on your health first. When it comes to controlling your health care expenses, you actually have more control than you think – a lot more. The decisions you make every day – what to eat, whether or not to smoke, how much to exercise – all play a dramatic role in your overall health. So take charge, dine on fruits and vegetables, take a run and kick that nicotine habit for good. Each of these little decisions will benefit your health and your budget.
* Be decisive with your deductible. Your insurance deductible is a fixed cost and one you’ll pay every single year before receiving network coverage support. But once it's paid, you’ll enjoy the full coverage of your plan. Thus, if you have another treatment or procedure coming up, don’t put it off any longer than you have to. Undergoing additional procedures in the same year means you get more coverage while paying only one deductible. Many health plans also cover preventive services in full, without going against a deductible.
* Be smart about where you go for care. While health care facilities across the country are all capable of delivering compassionate, quality care, they are not all priced the same. According to a Blue Cross Blue Shield, The Health of America Report, 29.8 percent of emergency room visits were for conditions that could have been treated in retail clinics. The same research also found consumers saved money on out-of-pocket costs by visiting retail clinics for routine services when compared to doctor’s offices, and the visits were much more inexpensive than receiving the same treatment in the emergency room, according to the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.
* Ask questions. Your provider may know best, but it's all about your health. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, not only about the procedure itself, but about the price of the procedure and if there is anything you can do to reduce the expense. Sometimes there may be something you can do on your own that supports your health and lessens your costs at the same time.
* Embrace an HSA. Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) provide a cost-effective way for people who don’t use a lot of health care services, to access care and pay for services up until they reach their deductible. Plus the money you save in your HSA can be used to pay for co-insurance payments or co-pays at your doctor’s office, and it's also an eligible tax write off, opening the door to further savings. There are ways you can manage your health care spending. Follow the tips above and be an active participant in your role as a health care consumer and you'll be surprised at how much you save. To learn more about the The Health of America Report, visit www.bcbs.com/healthofamerica.
HEALTH AND WELLNESS 
Get safer drinking water
(BPT) - Your home plumbing could be making you sick and costing you money. Hard water, which contains high levels of calcium and magnesium, may be directly contributing to the buildup of dangerous bacteria in your household pipes. This is a serious problem across the United States, especially when you consider that nearly 90 percent of American homes have hard water.
Left untreated, the water you use to wash your fresh fruits and vegetables may actually contain more bacteria, and the problem isn't only in the kitchen. When you take a hot shower the steam you are inhaling can also contain the same microbial contamination that is in the rest of your plumbing, exposing you to bacteria such as Legionella, which can cause Legionnaire's disease.
Normally, the piping used in home plumbing, whether it is copper or PVC, has very smooth interior surfaces that don't permit bacteria to settle and grow. However, hard water results in scale formation on the interior surfaces of those pipes and that provides a perfect home for bacteria.
Researchers at the School of Sustainable Engineering at Arizona State University found bacteria may grow in pipes filled with both hard scale and soft scale at the same rate. This is important new information because some forms of water conditioning produce this soft scale.
The only solution is to remove both hard and soft scale in the pipes with a traditional salt-based water softener. These work by running the incoming hard water through a resin filter that traps the calcium and magnesium in the water - as well as iron, manganese or radium ions - and replaces them with sodium ions.
A salt-based water softener doesn't just help protect your health, it protects your appliances, as well. Hard water scaling clogs waterlines and plumbing, forcing appliances to work harder and operate less efficiently. Hard water can reduce the efficiency of water heaters and increase electricity costs by as much as 48 percent, according to the Battelle Memorial Institute. Hard water also damages appliances like water heaters, dishwashers, shower heads and faucets. These must be repaired and replaced more often as a result.
Kitchens also benefit from soft water because it is up to 12 times more effective at cleaning dishes than increasing the amount of detergent used. Researchers found that for clothes washing machines, the most important factor in removing stains from clothing was water softness. Reduction of water hardness was up to 100 times more effective at stain removal than increasing the detergent dose or washing with hotter water. In fact, soft water can reduce soap use by as much as half.
To determine if you have hard water, look for spots and scale buildup on fixtures. You can also test your water yourself to check for hardness with home water testing kits or you can have a water treatment professional do the testing. For more information on water softening and salt health please visit www.saltinstitute.org.
RECIPE OF THE MONTH
Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
Makes 4 servings and ready in 40 minutes..
Ingredients:
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 12 dehydrated sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 (8 ounce) package uncooked penne pasta
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 bunch fresh spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
- In a small saucepan, bring the broth to a boil. Remove from heat. Place the sun-dried tomatoes in the broth 15 minutes, or until softened. Drain, reserving broth, and coarsely chop.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place penne pasta in the pot, cook 9 to 12 minutes, until al dente, and drain.
- Place the pine nuts in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir until lightly toasted.
- Heat the olive oil and red pepper flakes in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the garlic 1 minute, until tender. Mix in the spinach, and cook until almost wilted. Pour in the reserved broth, and stir in the chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Continue cooking 2 minutes, or until heated through.
- In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta with the spinach and tomato mixture and pine nuts. Serve with Parmesan cheese.
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Compliments of:
David Burke
Realty Executives Desert Lifestyles
78065 Main St. Suite 101
La Quinta, CA 92253
e-Pro
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Household Tips
1. Follow "top to bottom" rule.
If vacuuming is your least favorite chore, it can be tempting to get it out of the way first. But if dusting the top shelf (or cleaning the ceiling fan) is your last task for the day, dirt will likely fall over your freshly vacuumed carpeting. And then you have do that annoying part all over again.
2. Sort laundry when it really counts.
Every now and then, you might skip sorting by color to hurry laundry day along (some moms even find that doing laundry " by person" saves a ton of sorting time — especially when all of your kids' clothes are similar hues and fabrics). But pre-sorting is often actually a time-saver in the end.
3. Don't tackle windows on a sunny day.
The nice, warm sun might actually inhibit your efforts, since the heat could cause your cleaner to dry before you can wipe it away. That means streaks — and then you'll just have to start over.
4. Turn off your vacuum's brush roller when you switch to wood or tile floor.
"If you're vacuuming bare floors with an upright vacuum, be sure to turn off the rotating brush," says Forte. "Leave it on, and you'll scatter dust and dirt instead of picking it all up."
5. Don't wash dishes at the sink before you put them in the dishwasher.
Yes, you should scrape any food scraps into the garbage, but don't bother hand-washing or even rinsing your dishes before you they go in the dishwasher. Research shows that it doesn't get your dishes any cleaner, and our experts agree.
6. Let tile cleaner sit for a few minutes before you start scrubbing.
"Give spray tub and tile cleaners a few minutes to work before wiping them away, "says Forte. "Letting them sit helps soften and dissolve soap scum and stains, so less scrubbing is required." And less elbow grease means less time (and a not-so-sore arm the next day).
7. Remove shoes at the door.
The dirt you track in from outside can really build up over time, so beat it at its own game by going shoeless inside. And while you're at it, double up on doormats (one inside and one outside). They grab dirt before it can reach your new cream carpeting.
8. Don't use a lint roller to clean up pet hair.
If you're staring down a particularly fur covered couch, you might instinctively reach for this sticky paper. But a lint roller, while handy, isn't really up to heavy-duty jobs. When you need to clear a ton of pet hair at once, reach for a damp rubber glove instead to efficiently whisk the fuzz away.
9. Your cleaners need cleaning too.
"Dirty cloths, mops, and full vacuum cleaner bags don't pick up or remove dirt," says Forte. "You'll just be working harder and longer with no results to show for it. Clean or replace your cleaning tools as needed."
DID YOU KNOW?
- Did you know the safest car color is white
- Did you know the most commonly forgotten item for travelers is their toothbrush
- Did you know Coca Cola launched its 3rd product Sprite in 1961
- Did you know apples are more effective at waking you up in the morning than coffee
- Did you know room temperature is defined as between 20 to 25C (68 to 77F)
- Did you know an octopus pupil is rectangular
- Did you know the hyoid bone in your throat is the only bone in your body not attached to any other
- Did you know the Australian aircraft carrier QANTAS stands for Queensland And Northern Territories Aerial Service
- Did you know the movie Pulp Fiction cost $8 million to make with $5 million going towards actor's salaries?
About Us
Whether you are looking to buy or sell, we are here to assist you in accomplishing your real estate dreams. Burke and Associates has been awarded the "Top Listing Agent, 2011, and 2012" by Keller Williams Realty. Call today and let us put our tools, techniques and skills to work for you!
Also, be sure to ask us about our monthly specials for our new construction developments!
P.S. Referrals are the highest compliment a sales professional can receive from a client. Please pass my name around to your friends, family, and acquaintances so that I can provide them with the best real estate experience possible!
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